Health authorities in Madhya Pradesh are on alert after a suspected outbreak of a stomach infection was reported from Mhow town, prompting emergency measures in the affected localities and claims by residents that the scale of the illness is larger than officially acknowledged.

Officials said at least 12 suspected cases were identified in the Patti Bazaar area on Friday (January 23). Local residents, however, told authorities that nearly 24 people may have fallen ill after allegedly consuming contaminated drinking water, PTI reported.

In response, the administration has deployed 12 survey teams and set up two temporary hospitals in the area, officials said on Saturday (January 24).

According to an official release, the survey teams began door-to-door checks in Patti Bazaar on Friday and have so far covered more than 80 households. The affected localities have an estimated population of around 2,500 people, and two temporary medical facilities have been established to provide immediate treatment.

Authorities have also begun issuing public advisories through loudspeakers, urging residents to boil water before consumption and to avoid eating food from outside.

A report by The Times of India said that at least 22 residents from Patti Bazaar and Chandar Marg in Mhow fell ill late on Thursday (January 22), allegedly after drinking contaminated water. Of those affected, nine were admitted to hospital, while the rest are being treated at home, the report added.

Manish Agrawal, sanitary superintendent of the Mhow Cantonment Board, said that children made up the majority of the hospitalised patients.

“All patients, most of them children, were admitted at the hospital after they complained of nausea and vomiting. When their blood samples were examined, it was found they were suffering from jaundice, and the doctors treating them opined it could be due to contaminated water. Teams of the Cantonment Board and the health department have reached Patti Bazaar and Motimahal areas for a primary survey of the affected areas,” Agrawal was quoted as saying by TOI.

Meanwhile, the situation took a more serious turn after the family of a 63-year-old resident alleged that contaminated water had led to his death. Badriprasad Litoria, a resident of Bhagirathpura, died at a private hospital on Friday afternoon after being unwell for nearly a week.

“My father was healthy before this. He fell ill after consuming water supplied in the area. Contaminated water killed him,” his son Shailendra was quoted as saying by TOI.